The end of the funding period under the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) confronts the wind power industry with an entirely new set of challenges. Price developments on the electricity markets don’t promise secure and sufficient yields for ongoing economical operation of your wind turbines. What is more, regulations governing feed-in management will only be compensated at significantly lower prices – if at all. So it's time to take advantage of alternative options to upgrade your wind power.
GP JOULE is aware of the enormous value creation potential that your wind turbines will still have after 20 years. Because we combine years of experience in project development and operations management with expertise in innovative marketing models. In addition to the options of repowering, selling and continued operation via direct marketing and power purchase agreements, we create added value from your electricity – the key concept in the heat and hydrogen market is sector cross-linkage. Together, we can make you a post-EEG success.
By 31 December 2020, the first wind turbines will no longer be eligible for state funding under EEG. By 2026, secured subsidy coverage will no longer apply to total capacity of some 12 GW. The importance of the post-EEG issue becomes clear if it is considered in the context of current plants: for about 40 % of facilities, operators are faced with the question of what happens next after the EEG?
Answering this question is extremely complex: there are no standard formulas. Depending on the location and technical condition of your existing plants, you as the plant operator should consider a range of solutions in varying combinations. In addition to repowering or selling, it is also worth analysing the possibilities of continuing to operate your plants. But there are different forms of post-EEG operation.
When EEG funding dries up, wind turbine operators will no longer only produce electricity but in many more cases hydrogen and heat, too. The conversion of electricity to hydrogen (power-to-gas) has great potential as an intermediate storage medium for excess power, as a raw material in industry or as an environmentally friendly fuel for mobility.
The same applies to the use of surplus electricity for heat generation (power-to-heat) in cooperative heat grids with large heat storage units. Sector cross-linkage is the next important step to ensure a successful energy turnaround – and the key to a lucrative post-EEG operation of your old plants. GP JOULE has been involved in power-to-gas and power-to-heat projects for several years.
For 10 years we have been a universal and innovative partner in all areas of renewable energies – and we have already implemented more than 600 MW of capacity in national and international wind and solar projects. We develop and implement energy and operating concepts driven by the conviction that a 100% renewable supply is feasible. Knowing that a successful energy turnaround can only be achieved through an intelligent coupling of the electricity, heat, industry and mobility sectors, we expanded our spectrum of expertise at an early stage to include the areas of heat and hydrogen infrastructure as well as e-mobility. The Lübeck-based company H-TEC SYSTEMS has been part of the GP JOULE Group since 2010. H-TEC SYSTEMS builds and sells MW-class hydrogen electrolysers as a turnkey solution, thereby supplementing our expertise in alternative remuneration options for wind power through sector cross-linkage.
If the end of the EEG funding term is approaching for your plants, you’ll already be confronted with the following questions:
We support you in answering these questions and we will be more than happy to support you on an ongoing basis. Analyses, viable concepts, approval procedures, development of new sales markets with new contractual partners, etc. usually take at least two years to implement. So make the most of opportunity and get in touch with us on a non-binding basis. We’ll be pleased to carry out a free preliminary analysis of your plants’ post-EEG operating potential.
